Page:History of Barrington, Rhode Island (Bicknell).djvu/420

 336 THE HISTOHY OF BAEEINGTON. The efficiency and bravery of our coast guard are well es- tablished by the facts that no landing was made on our shores, although British ships were at anchor in the bay, south of the town, for four years, and that not a dollar's worth of private property of the towns' people was destroyed by any hostile incursions of the enemy. While all the towns and islands south of us were attacked or pillaged by the soldiers it is a matter of most honorable record to the alert- ness of our home-guard that no harm came to Barrington property or people. It can be readily seen that Rhode Island was threatened by two hostile camps — The British troops, sometimes num- bering 7,000 men, and a British fleet of large dimensions with headquarters at Newport ; — a constant menace and always on the alert to destroy property and keep our people under arms. When General Washington wanted troops from Rhode Island, Governor Cooke replied that we needed more than we could raise for our own defence. When fully made aware of our perils the great General wrote, "that the peculiar cir- cumstances of Rhode Island, under an invasion, furnish many apologies for the retention at home of the troops so much needed for the Continental service." From these facts it will readily be seen that Barrington militia were no holiday soldiers. From April, 1775, to Octo- ber, 1783, there was not a day that our people, men and women were not in service in one form or another. The women made clothing, of all sorts, and blankets for the sold- iers. In one instance, in a neighboring town, it is related that the wool which was on the sheep's back in the morning was a finished garment on the back of a Revolutionary soldier before bed-time. We may conclude, however, that early ris- ing and late retiring marked that day's housekeeping. The women also, in the absence of the men, worked the farms, took care of the stock, and attended to the marketing of pro- duce. Abigail Salisbury, widow of George Salisbury, who applied for and secured a pension after the war, when one hundred years old, took an active part in the Revolution and